“Waaah—!!”

The poison men in white clothes rushed towards the open Dowon of the Qingcheng Sect.

“Block them!”

At the Qingyu True Man’s shout, the Daoists of the Qingcheng Sect, the Demon-Subduing Sword of the Emei Sect, and the late-stage prospects of the Tang Clan fought back, scattering the hidden weapons they had on their bodies.

“We must not retreat!”

A fight where they could not retreat.

The first-generation disciples who had reached the ranks of masters of the Qingcheng Sect stood at the very front and fought against the poison men, protecting the entrance of the Qingcheng Sect, and behind them, the second and third-generation disciples fought together.

“We’re going too!”

It wasn’t just the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect that were protecting the Qingcheng Sect.

Although the scale of their own sects was not comparable to the Nine Great Sects, they were, after all, the vassal sects of the Qingcheng Sect.

To protect the main mountain.

Over a hundred martial artists who had come from three vassal sects fought fiercely to help the Qingcheng Sect.

And so, the Sichuan Alliance, a combination of a total of five sects and one martial family, fought against the poison men.

“Hehe…”

Hamgi, who was watching the fight from a distance, laughed eerily.

Of course, the poison men of the Poison Sect were no match for the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect.

Because their martial arts skills were barely close to the first-rate level.

But Hamgi could laugh.

‘We have achieved what the Sichuan Tang Clan could not.’

If the Sichuan Tang Clan had poured their efforts into hidden weapon techniques and poison arts.

The Poison Sect was different.

After the defeat in the Righteous-Demon War, the Poison Sect had to walk a different path from the Sichuan Tang Clan in order to survive, and in that process, they had discovered a new path.

That was precisely.

Poison men.

“The death of one person leads to the death of ten.”

Hamgi smiled brightly with his hands behind his back.

“What an unfair exchange this is.”

Seogeok—!

The sword of Song Cheong, a first-generation disciple of the Qingcheng Sect, cut down the poison man’s neck.

Although his skin was as thick and hard as animal hide, the sword of Qingcheng was sharper than that.

‘One down for now!’

Song Cheong, who was preparing for the subsequent fight after cutting down the poison man, felt that something was strange. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

The tip of his nose was pungent, as if he had inhaled the smoke from a fire.

Soon, his hands and feet trembled.

‘Don’t tell me… this is?’

Song Cheong, who had finished assessing the situation, looked back and shouted.

“It’s poison! Retreat…!”

As Song Cheong collapsed, spewing blood from his mouth and nose, the surprised martial artists of the alliance stepped back.

“Cough… cough!”

As Song Cheong, who was vomiting blood, soon collapsed on the floor, the Qingyu True Man said with a hardened face.

“If you cut a poison man… is that what happens?”

At this, Dang Surim looked at the poison man with his mouth open and said.

“Basically, poison flows in the body of a poison man. But a poison man who harbors such a strong extreme poison… I’ve never seen one before. If that’s the case, they can’t live long and are bound to die young…”

“Poison Sect! They have finally abandoned their human duty!”

As they witnessed what the Poison Sect had done for victory, the Sichuan Alliance felt fear along with anger.

But it was then.

“In that case.”

The Jingyu Master approached the poison men with her sword lowered.

“We just have to cut them down quickly.”

The Demon-Subduing Sword, including her, ran out at a fierce speed, cut down the necks of the poison men, and then quickly left the place.

Thanks to that, the poisonous gas had no effect on the Jingyu Master or the Demon-Subduing Sword.

“Only masters of the peak level or higher should deal with the poison men.”

“I understand.”

As per the Jingyu Master’s advice, the elders or peak-level masters of the Qingcheng Sect personally stepped forward to deal with the poison men.

They cleanly cut their necks and then quickly left the place.

Thanks to that, the area near the Dowon of the Qingcheng Sect was filled with a poisonous gas so strong that no human could set foot there.

‘What are they going to do now?’

Rather, sending out the poison men had become their bad move.

Because no one other than the poison men could set foot in the Qingcheng Sect.

Rather, the martial artists of the alliance, who were in a defensive position, were able to catch their breath.

“Treat the wounded and gather your internal energy!”

While the martial artists of the alliance were regrouping, Dang Surim and the Jingyu Master stood side by side next to the Qingyu True Man.

They stared at the Dowon, which was filled with poisonous gas.

Although it was not visible, it felt as if the terrible poisonous gas was reaching this place, which was far away.

“What a terrible poisonous gas.”

“Thanks to that, we were able to buy some time, but… the problem is…”

“There is no escape route.”

Unlike the Five Great Families, who had created back roads and escape routes to be used in case of a crisis in the family, the Nine Great Sects were not like that.

They considered their ancestral mountain as their grave.

And they would fight to protect the sect and the ancestral mountain until the very last person died.

That’s why there were no other back roads in the Qingcheng Sect except for the Dowon.

That meant.

‘It means we have nowhere to retreat to either.’

The fact that the Dowon was blocked meant that the Qingcheng Sect had no other way.

But for the Qingyu True Man, who had no intention of abandoning the ancestral mountain in the first place, the fact that the Dowon was blocked by poisonous gas was not a big problem.

“The real one hasn’t come yet.”

The very person who had led the Sichuan Tang Clan to the path of true destruction.

The Blood-Sucking Sword Demon, Ma Seongun.

He had not appeared yet.

In a situation where they could not let go of the tension, the alliance regrouped and caught their breath.

They wiped the poisonous blood from their swords.

And in silence, they stared at the Dowon of the Qingcheng Sect, which was filled with poisonous gas.

In that place where no human could set foot.

Someone appeared.

As if there was nothing there.

The man who had appeared, cutting through the extreme poison that would make one kneel in one breath and die in two.

He stood there, with one hand on the sword stuck in his waist, and looked at the martial artists of the alliance who were looking at him.

‘So heartless!’

The Qingyu True Man could not find any emotion in the man’s eyes.

It was different from that of the assassins who had emotionless and immovable eyes.

‘It’s as if there was nothing there from the beginning.’

The empty two eyes were so deep and dark that it felt like he would be sucked in.

The Qingyu True Man felt his fingertips, which were on his sword hilt, trembling.

The instinct of a martial artist who had trained for decades was ringing an alarm bell for him.

‘That’s the real thing.’

At the appearance of a real threat, the martial artists of the alliance could not take their eyes off him.

With their gazes fixed on the man, they fumbled for their necks or picked up their swords with fumbling hands.

It was an instinctive action to protect themselves from an unprecedented threat.

And finally.

The man’s eyes passed over the Daoists of the Qingcheng Sect and landed on the Jingyu Master and the Demon-Subduing Sword.

The man’s dry lips opened.

“It was you.”

At the man’s surprisingly ordinary voice, the Jingyu Master had a question.

“What do you mean.”

“Didn’t you send a carrier pigeon.”

Soon, the Jingyu Master, who had understood the man’s words, had her eyes wide open.

The Jingyu Master’s fingertips trembled.

“That… how did you…”

“I’m on my way from Mount Emei.”

“What did you say!!”

The Jingyu Master drew her sword and aimed it at the man.

A sharp aura pierced the man like a blade.

“Speak clearly! What did you do at Mount Emei!!”

The man half-drew his blood-red sword and said in a low, emotionless voice.

“I killed them all.”

“…”

At that moment, the Jingyu Master understood why no reply had come.

The reply had not come.

It could not come.

And the reason for that was this man.

“Blood-Sucking Sword Demon!!”

The Jingyu Master could not hold it in and threw herself.

The Jingyu Master’s sword, which had approached Ma Seongun with just two leaps, fell like a thunderbolt from above.

For a sword technique of a nun of the Emei Sect, it was a very domineering sword style.

Ma Seongun looked at the falling blade and stood still.

“If you had been there, my hunger would have been a little more satisfied.”

Ma Seongun, who was spouting incomprehensible words, fully drew the Bloodstone Sword he had half-drawn and swung it.

A red half-moon spread out in front of the Jingyu Master.

Clang—!!

The Jingyu Master’s body was thrown back.

At the same time, the other half of the cut sword flew and was embedded in the floor.

“Jingyu Master!!”

The nuns of the Demon-Subduing Sword threw their bodies and caught the flying Jingyu Master.

At the same time, red blood poured from the Jingyu Master’s mouth.

“Cough… cough…!”

The Qingyu True Man, who was watching the two exchange blows, swallowed his dry saliva without realizing it.

‘Was this prepared from the beginning.’

The reason why the only entrance to the Qingcheng Sect was blocked with the corpses of the poison men.

It was a preparatory stage for the Blood-Sucking Sword Demon.

‘So that they can’t escape.’

So that the martial artists of the alliance would not be scared and run away.

So that the Blood-Sucking Sword Demon could feast to his heart’s content.

“Qingxu True Man.”

The elder of the Qingcheng Sect, the Qingxu True Man, who had been called by the Qingyu True Man, rushed over.

He was half out of his mind.

“Yes, Sect Master.”

“Listen carefully to what I say from now on.”

“Please give your order.”

“I will open a path, so take the martial artists of the alliance and go down Mount Qingcheng immediately.”

“Wh-what do you mean!?”

It was unthinkable to abandon the ancestral mountain.

Nevertheless, the Qingyu True Man had abandoned the ancestral mountain.

This was decided in less than a moment after Ma Seongun had arrived.

“We can’t defeat that person. What’s truly important now is to save even one more person and add to the strength of the Martial Alliance. Only then…”

The Qingyu True Man’s eyes were still fixed on Ma Seongun.

“Can we stop that person.”

***

Ma Seongun, who had stepped on the Dowon of the Qingcheng Sect, had defeated the Jingyu Master with a single sword strike.

Even then, no emotion bloomed in his heart.

‘Did I finally die.’

Ma Seongun fumbled his lower abdomen with his left hand.

At some point, the Blood Jade had completely assimilated with him.

No, it was Ma Seongun who was being swallowed.

‘The power of the Blood Jade is getting stronger.’

Instead of giving him power.

The Blood Jade was taking away his emotions and will from Ma Seongun.

If this continued, he felt that he might become a hungry ghost who only enjoyed blood and slaughter, having lost his reason.

Nevertheless, Ma Seongun raised the Bloodstone Sword.

“It doesn’t matter.”

What’s important is strength.

Only then.

Could he stand on an equal footing with Jin Sohyun, who was getting closer and closer to him.

So for now.

“I have to enjoy it.”

Ma Seongun raised his sword high and walked slowly.

“I plan to enjoy today’s meal very leisurely, so don’t be too afraid. Death will come to you slower than you think.”

***

Kung— kung—!!

“Oh my!”

“What’s that sound?”

The middle-aged woman who had dropped the firewood she was holding was held in her husband’s arms and looked around without even having time to pick up the firewood.

“Could it be an earthquake?”

“Is that so?”

The couple hurriedly brought their children out of the house.

Because they thought that if it was really an earthquake, it would be safer to be outside where there was nothing than to be inside a building.

Kung— kung—!!

With the continuous vibrations, the family of four waited for the earthquake to pass.

Kung!

“Oh my!”

“The-the sound seems to be getting closer?”

Strangely, the sound of the vibration was getting closer.

The ground shaking also became stronger as the sound got closer.

“Dad! Over there!”

“Huh?”

The man, who had turned his gaze at his daughter’s gesture, discovered a small figure in the distance.

And soon, the figure, which had been as small as a bean, appeared in front of them in an instant.

“Ah! I’m sorry!”

With these words, the man who had appeared in front of the family of four playfully tickled the daughter’s head and then disappeared with a smile full of apology.

Kung— kung—!!

At the same time, the sound of the vibration and the ground shaking also moved away.

The two children, who had barely escaped from the arms of their dazed parents, who were dazed because it had all happened in an instant, touched the ground with their fingertips and giggled.

“Wow!”

In the place where the children were laughing and marveling, a clear footprint remained, and around it, the ground was cracked as if there had really been an earthquake.

(End of Chapter)